Death Valley National Park

Last weekend, I visited Death Valley National Park for the first time. We were in Las Vegas for the weekend, but we wanted to get out of the city, so we extemporaneously decided to go to Death Valley.

I wasn’t sure what to expect in Death Valley, except hot temperatures. What I found was an incredibly vast and varied landscape. The colors and textures of the terrain are striking.

The park is also replete with superlatives. The hottest temperature ever recorded on earth (134° Fahrenheit) was recorded in what is now Death Valley National Park. The lowest point in North America (Badwater Basin, at 282 feet below sea level) is also located in Death Valley National Park. The highest point in the contiguous United States (Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet) is also visible from the park (on clear days).

Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park is the lowest point in North America (282 feet below sea level)Devil’s Cornfield in Death Valley National ParkMesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National ParkThe view from Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National ParkDante’s View in Death Valley National ParkThe highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States are visible from Dante’s View in Death Valley National ParkDante’s View in Death Valley National Park (Enhanced HDR)

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